McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) Earns “Hold” Rating from Argus

Argus reiterated their hold rating on shares of McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) in a report released on Monday morning, MarketBeat reports.

MCD has been the subject of a number of other research reports. BTIG Research downgraded shares of McDonald’s from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Oppenheimer reissued a market perform rating on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Friday, January 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of McDonald’s from $325.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, December 7th. HSBC initiated coverage on shares of McDonald’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 20th. They issued a buy rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of McDonald’s from $340.00 to $335.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $320.60.

McDonald’s Price Performance

NYSE MCD opened at $281.95 on Monday. McDonald’s has a 12 month low of $245.73 and a 12 month high of $302.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $290.64 and a 200-day moving average of $280.93. The company has a market cap of $203.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.72.

McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 5th. The fast-food giant reported $2.95 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.83 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $6.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.45 billion. McDonald’s had a net margin of 33.22% and a negative return on equity of 171.96%. The company’s revenue was up 8.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.59 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that McDonald’s will post 12.38 EPS for the current year.

McDonald’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a dividend of $1.67 per share. This represents a $6.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.37%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. McDonald’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 57.74%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other McDonald’s news, insider Joseph M. Erlinger sold 1,099 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.38, for a total value of $312,533.62. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,075 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,140,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On McDonald’s

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC increased its position in McDonald’s by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Shulman DeMeo Asset Management LLC now owns 1,051 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 0.6% during the third quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 80,441 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $21,191,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. First National Bank of Mount Dora Trust Investment Services now owns 11,025 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Mengis Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 7.9% during the third quarter. Mengis Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,522 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 331 shares during the period. Finally, Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of McDonald’s by 7.7% during the third quarter. Garden State Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,227 shares of the fast-food giant’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. 70.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About McDonald’s

McDonald's Corporation operates and franchises restaurants under the McDonald's brand in the United States and internationally. It offers food and beverages, including hamburgers and cheeseburgers, various chicken sandwiches, fries, shakes, desserts, sundaes, cookies, pies, soft drinks, coffee, and other beverages; and full or limited breakfast, as well as sells various other products during limited-time promotions.